Siberian Teens Convicted To Prison For Trying To Blow Up Minecraft Version Of FSB Building

A sentence of prison time for playing video games is pretty difficult, but it''s possible if you''re a kid in Russia.

Nikita Uvarov, who is 16 years old, was found guilty of "training for terrorist activities" by an Russian military court after the teen planned to destroy a virtual version of the FSB, the country''s domestic intelligence agency...while playing Minecraft. He was sentenced to five years imprisonment.

The Moscow Times reports that Uvarov and his two buddies, Bogdan Andreyev and Denis Mikhailenko, were arrested back in 2020 for a variety of activities that the government was able to conclude were part of a dangerous plot. The group were planning to blow up an online FSB and distributed flyers in support of Azat Miftakhov (a Russian anarchist) who was also detained for vandalism in 2019. Authorities have also claimed that they tried to make improvised explosive devices, putting them on abandoned buildings.

In the wake of all this, the boys were recently found guilty of "undergoing training with the intention of carrying out terrorist activities," and delivered prison sentences. Andreyev, Mikhailenko and Mikhailenko all pleaded guilty to the charges and were sentenced suspended. Mycms.org , insisted on his innocence, and was sentenced to prison.

It''s not totally clear if the government''s assertion is that the video game was used as a sort of virtual training exercise for actual terroristic acts. Minecraft is a hugely popular video game, is renowned for its ability to let players construct their own customizable structures. The Russian government has declared that it believes that the teenagers were not just playing around, but were actively planning something grave.